'On the Freedom to Offend an Imaginary God' by Sam Harris

This article by Sam Harris is a breath of fresh air. Here is the link.

I've been following closely these despicable, violent incidents all over the world, and the reactions by the governments and liberal apologists.

"The contagion of moral cowardice followed its usual course, wherein liberal journalists and pundits began to reconsider our most basic freedoms in light of the sadomasochistic fury known as “religious sensitivity” among Muslims. Contributors to The New York Times and NPR spoke of the need to find a balance between free speech and freedom of religion—as though the latter could possibly be infringed by a YouTube video. As predictable as Muslim bullying has become, the moral confusion of secular liberals appears to be part of the same clockwork." 

"We are free to burn the Qur’an or any other book, and to criticize Muhammad or any other human being. Let no one forget it."

 "The freedom to think out loud on certain topics, without fear of being hounded into hiding or killed, has already been lost. And the only forces on earth that can recover it are strong, secular governments that will face down charges of blasphemy with scorn. No apologies necessary."

Another good one is in today's The Age. Here is the link.

"The President of the United States cannot be held responsible for the thoughts, opinions and actions of 300 million Americans. Nor, in a free society, can he ban his citizens from expressing themselves, even if they sometimes do so in crass and offensive ways."

"Egypt not only wants to ban its own citizens from expressing views that Muslims deem insulting, but its government thinks this prohibition should go global. The suggestion appears to be that an obligation to refrain from causing offence to Muslims should be extended to everyone in the world, including the citizens of countries where freedom of expression has always included the 'freedom to offend'.''